We planted our first cider apple trees in 2017 and this was initially driven by a desire to enhance the environment.

Five years later and the first harvest was coming along nicely. We produced about 500 litres of juice from this initial harvest and this translated into 600 bottles of organic sparkling cider.

The initial fermentation is done using a champagne yeast in addition to the wild yeasts on the apples. We do not use sulphites at any stage in the process. This fermentation takes place over Winter and in the Spring the cider is racked off the lees.

Like many of the best sparkling wines we use the “Method Traditionelle” to create a natural effervescence in the bottle through a secondary fermentation.

After this disgorging process comes dosage. At this stage the bottles are topped up to replace any cider lost when the bottle was opened. If the cider is to be “Dry” then it is topped up with cider form an opened bottle, if it is to be “Medium” or “Sweet” then a precisely measured amount of sugar syrup is added before the final topping up.

This complicated process is made easier by using the special Italian machine shown on the Right. This is powered by compressed air and uses compressed nitrogen to push the sugar syrup and cider into the bottles.

The secondary fermentation is over fairly quickly, about two weeks, and then the bottles are laid down in the barn for a year or more until we need them to supply customers.

During this time the flavours are developing and becoming more complex, just as happens with Champagne.

The next step is remuage when the bottles are placed at an angle in an oak pupitre from Epernay. They are twisted a quarter turn every day for a further two weeks to encourage the sediment to settle in the neck of the bottle.

The bottles are then placed neck down in a freezer to create an ice plug in the neck of the bottle. Once the crown cap is removed the pressure in the bottle expels the ice plug containing the sediment.